The hot list - June 2013

With Google’s developer conference I/O 2013 still a warm memory and Apple’s WWDC being just days away, there are no end of prospective gadgets lined up for the future. But in the here and now, there’s still plenty of exciting tech to get your teeth into

VUE

Lifestyle

When we first heard about Apple’s iWatch, EB swore off analogue for good. Fortunately, Issey Miyake’s VUE brought us to our senses. The Japanese firm brought in Ouya designer Yves Behar to produce this beautiful timepiece, which only reveals the hour you’re in, letting us – in the manufacturer’s words – “feel time’s appearance and disappearance in our lives”. We’re not sure about all that but it definitely does dirty things to our brains.

Transporter

Hardware

Cloud storage is great. The cost implications involved aren’t. If you’re doing serious backups, you can be looking at some pretty severe recurring fees. Connected Data’s Transporter is both external hard-drive and cloud server, allowing you to sync 1TB or 2TB of data to a private server no matter where you are in the world. Security and peace of mind have never come so cheap.

PureShot

App: iPhone

Over the years, smartphone photography has become increasingly sophisticated. Botch job Instagramming is definitely a thing of the past but no app has managed to advance things quite as far as PureShot. Changing your iPhone camera from compact to DSLR, PureShot unlocks exposure, shutter speed and a whole host of other options, as well as letting you shoot in ultra high quality dRAW format. A very impressive approach to professional photography on the go.

Kevo

Hardware

Given our childhoods were crammed with dreams of Star Trek-style sliding doors, having to use a piece of notched metal to get into our homes certainly lacks that je ne sais quoi. Bluetooth lock Kevo adds a little sci-fi panache to your home; when it detects your phone, the lock can be opened at a touch. Fortunately, for those whose phone battery could be outlived by a mayfly, it can also be opened the old fashioned way.

About the Author

As editor, Russell is the man in charge of properly apostrophising our publication and ensuring Oxford commas are mercilessly excised. Our digital doyen, he’s also a Photoshop Pro, a dab hand with InDesign and the man to go to if you need a four-hour soliloquy about the UK's best silicon startups.